Fred Hutch scientists are among the world’s most innovative and creative researchers. They work in a setting that stresses the scientific freedom needed to achieve research breakthroughs. Read our profiles of selected researchers below to learn more about their unique work.

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Anderson lends her skills as a scientist and biostatistician to designing, conducting and analyzing data from large population studies, collaborating with colleagues to make breakthrough discoveries that have helped save hundreds of thousands of lives, billions of dollars and untold amounts of suffering.

When Appelbaum was a medical student, he happened upon an early write-up of bone-marrow transplantation by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who later won a Nobel Prize for the pioneering blood-cancer treatment. Little did he know that one day he'd have Thomas' job at the Fred Hutch.

With her sights set on pinpointing new cancer treatment targets, Berger develops methods to assess the biological consequences of thousands of different gene mutations at once. And she’s exploring the direct role that specific mutations may play in the development of lung cancer.

A computer engineer by training, Bolouri develops new computing methodologies to make sense of big genomic data sets. His work is aimed at unlocking cells' secrets and laying the groundwork for improved therapies.

As a scientist, Dr. Larry Corey has led some of the most significant advances in medicine in the last 30 years: the development of safe and effective antivirals for herpes viruses, HIV, and hepatitis infections.

Dudakov studies the thymus, a specialized organ that is central to a healthy immune system. By understanding how the thymus regenerates after damage, he hopes to develop treatments that improve immune function and boost vaccines, reduce chemotherapy complications, and improve the effectiveness of immunotherapies.

Galloway's breakthrough research helped pave the way to the cancer-preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and she continues to apply her expertise to reduce the worldwide burden of cancers caused by infectious agents.

A “whimsical” decision to study bioengineering started Dr. Cyrus Ghajar on a path that has led him to a new frontier in cancer research — one that could eventually lead to new methods for preventing cancer’s spread

Groudine says he's "not at all a top down kind of leader—I give people responsibility and turn them loose." Meanwhile, his own research as an award-winning molecular and cellular biologist has earned him international renown.

Higano is a pioneer in testing therapeutic vaccines against prostate cancer—part of a growing field of cancer research called immunotherapy, which harnesses the natural power of the immune system to fight disease.

Hingorani's work has yielded some of the most significant advances in decades related to early detection and treatment of pancreas cancer, a disease that is almost uniformly a death sentence by the time it is detected.

While many researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center are trying to find cures for cancer, Dr. Gary Lyman has an equally daunting task: finding a cure for cancer’s skyrocketing costs and the financial toll it can take on patients and their families.

Dr. David Madtes’ specialized, multidisciplinary clinic is one of only a few in the country that assesses people’s risk of lung cancer and expedites evaluations of suspicious findings, using state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques.

McTiernan's groundbreaking studies have produced some of the first specific answers about the role of exercise and weight loss in reducing cancer risk, earning her a spot on a federal advisory committee.

Dr. Mendez tracks subtle genetic abnormalities that may drive head and neck cancers or reveal why some tumors spread while others don’t. Using state-of-the-art techniques, he’s diving deeper than physical exams or imaging tests to uncover the molecular fingerprints of each patient’s tumor.

Nelson's pioneering work on the mother-child cell transfer that happens during pregnancy, known as microchimerism, could form the basis for new therapies for people with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and diabetes.

Some of the world's most successful treatments for lymphoma and other blood cancers have emerged from research by Press and colleagues, who pioneered the use of radioactive molecules that blast cancer with high doses of radiation while sparing healthy cells.

Radich’s research has led to important breakthroughs in leukemia detection and treatment since he came to Fred Hutch 25 years ago. His work involves sniffing out tiny numbers of cancer cells based on their genetic signature.

When Ramsey talks about medicine, his upturned palms often rise to form an imaginary scale. As a physician, cancer researcher and health economist, he weighs the cost and benefit of various treatments, doggedly advocating for the best patient care for the least amount of money.

Growing up in an orphanage in Hershey, Pa., Roth often heard "no" from the adults in his life. No, he couldn't run on the high-school track or cross-country teams. No, he'd never be a scientist. Now his research may one day transform emergency medicine.

Dr. Saha studies a deadly, difficult-to-detect form of liver cancer known as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. His goal is to deeply understand ICC so that he can develop targeted treatments as well as effective strategies for early diagnosis and prevention.

Why are some cancer cells so successful at dodging our body's natural disease-fighting powers? That's the major research question that motivates Spies and his colleagues, whose work may lead to new approaches for cancer treatment.

The hope of cancer prevention motivates Stanford on a very personal level. Five of her close family members have fought the disease. "I look at my son," she says, "and I am inspired to do something to prevent him from getting prostate cancer like both of his grandfathers."

Much of what scientists have learned—and are still learning—about the biology of stem-cell transplantation came from Storb's laboratory. He continues to pioneer new blood-cancer treatments after working on team led by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, the father of bone marrow transplantation.

Torok-Storb overcame the odds to become a scientist who has helped improve patients’ outcomes following transplants of blood-forming stem cells. Now she’s inspiring the next generation of researchers to make their own discoveries.

Turtle, a hematology oncologist, is working toward harnessing the body's own immune system to fight cancer. Turtle’s research focuses on a subset of T cells known as central memory T cells, which are one of the keys to our ability to develop immunity from viral infections — and someday could free cancer patients from their disease.

From blood stem cell transplantation to immune-boosting drugs, Warren wants to know how complex immunotherapies work and how they can fail. His goal is to use this knowledge to develop better immunotherapies for diseases from kidney cancer in the U.S. to lymphomas in Africa.